“This one actor tour-de-force will leave you laughing sympathetically for the lost dreams of each character. …Derek Kwan (關顯揚) stars as the one who must pull off four different roles (two male and two female). Each requires a different voice, mood and emotion as all subtly or not so subtly reveal their “shit luck” experiences with life.” – Jerome Keating, Taipei Times
“This show was a massive challenge: on top of performing it, I really wanted to get my hands dirty with all aspects of the show, from the set and costume design to composing and recording music, setting up the space and lighting. This very personal process forced me to question every choice and possibility, to answer from every perspective. It was such an honour also to have Kristen’s masks, which provided so much inspiration.” — Derek
Claudia is one extraordinary adolescent. Aged twelve and three quarters, she finds herself suffering from the triple afflictions of puberty, unpopularity, and her parents’ divorce. Finding refuge in the basement of her school, Claudia discovers the pain at the centre of her brimming child’s heart, while her grandfather, her father’s new girlfriend, and the school custodian, shed light on her situation. Alternately heartbreakingly sad and wrenchingly funny, I, Claudia casts a theatrical spell of rare power.
I, Claudia is a modern Canadian classic written and originally performed by Kristen Thomson. To vividly portray all four characters, Derek Kwan brought Kristen’s masks to Taiwan for this special production. I, Claudia has toured extensively around Canada and was the winner of the 2001 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play.
The LAB Space, in Association with Butterfly Effect Theatre Co. presents
A Theatre Ignite Production:
I, Claudia
by Kristen Thomson
January 13-15, 20-22, 2017
The LAB Space, Taipei, Taiwan
Performer: Derek Kwan
Outside Eye: Luc Ducros
Stage Manager: Erin Vasseur
An interview was conducted with Derek, which is available here:
Let’s Get Physical, Actor Derek Kwan on the Art of Masks and Clowning James Baron, The News Lens 關鍵評論
